Wild Horses and Burros up for Adoption in Crescent City

Wild horses and burros from Nevada and California public lands are headed for California’s north coast where they will be offered for public adoption Saturday, June 23, at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds in Crescent City.

Event gates open at 8 a.m. and adoptions begin with silent bidding from 9 to 11 a.m. Animals not taken during bidding will be available for $125 on a first-come, first-served basis. Anyone interested can get a preview look at the animals when they arrive at the fairgrounds at 4 p.m. on Friday, June 22.

The Bureau of Land Management will offer a total of 18 animals including yearling fillies and geldings, mares and geldings up to four years old, and jack and jenny burros of all ages.

“These animals are healthy and ready to train. They have been vaccinated against all common equine diseases, including rabies and West Nile virus,” said Doug Satica, manager of the BLM wild horse and burro corrals near Susanville. “We provide full health care records to adopters.”

To qualify, adopters must be at least 18 years old and residents of the United States. Adopted animals must be kept in corrals that offer at least 400 square feet per animal, surrounded by six-foot pipe or board fences (five-foot fences are allowed for horses under 2 years old; four-foot fences are allowed for burros). Two-sided roofed shelters are required. Adopters receive title to their animals after providing a year of good care.

Horses and burros coming to Crescent City were captured from wild herds whose populations exceeded the carrying capacity of their ranges. Horses are from remote Nevada ranges near High Rock Canyon, while the burros are from California’s Twin Peaks Herd Management Area along the California-Nevada border north of Susanville.

Wild horses and burros are protected by a federal law, the Wild and Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which requires the BLM to maintain wild populations in balance with other range users, including wildlife and domestic livestock, so that food and water sources are sustained and rangelands are conserved.